The grittiness and simplicity of Tree is what gets me. This isn't to say however that Tree is unpolished or basic. What I am getting at is there aren't any excesses in their music. Tree's new release Splitting Branches reflects a deliberateness applied to every aspect of their sound. I enjoy the rough around the edge quality that accents Nickell's voice and artful verse recitation. Go listen to "Pieces of What" by MGMT after Tree if you don't get what I am talking about.
Now for some background. Tree is the moniker of 19 year old bay artist, Oliver Nickell. Showing some ambition Nickell put together Tree Collaborations, a rotating art collective based out of San Francisco. Tree Collaborations bridges the fields of music, art, film, animation, and even fashion. Hit up their website. A testament to the the collectives creativity is the music video for "Tully" below. In the future look for a Splitting Branches remix compilation. Additionally, the debut EP will drop in April containing an undisclosed cover of one of Tree's favorite groups. In the meantime, Splitting Branches will be looping here at Bochi as I am sure it will be for a lot of you. We have a lot to look forward to from Tree and his collective.
Astronauts, Etc.
Astronauts, Etc. has returned with a new original titled "Sideswiped." Supermelodic Pulp was the last we heard from Astronauts (with the exception of a few recent covers) and marked one of the more significant releases of the fall. The EP contained "You Can Yell" and "Mystery Colors," which both deservedly received solid coverage in the blogosphere. 22 year old Berkeley student Anthony Ferraro is the man behind Astronauts, Etc. In addition to Astronauts, Ferraro is a part of The Lawlands and Ash Reiter. In customary fashion Ferraro released an accompanying video that compliments the single extremely well. The calming cityscape of San Francisco meshes well with the Ferraro's voice. A haunting, brilliant single from Astronauts, Etc. that expands on his already impressive repertoire.
The West
The West delivers an uplifting tune with "Wild Hearts." The West are comprised of a strong front-woman and as band member Brandon Leslie says, "a few guys to balance out the mix." The chorus of "Wild Hearts" boasts a catchy hook that proves difficult to resist mouthing along. The West have recently released a self-titled EP and have a video with director Danny Iglesias (The Neighbourhood) lined up for the summer. In a scene and genre where it becomes difficult to distinguish one indie group from another, The West firmly establish themselves through thoughtful songwriting and a bit of infectious twang.
At the end of what seemed like a fruitless search, I finally stumbled upon a gem in "You Can Yell." Astronauts, etc. (project of Berkeley based Anthony Ferraro) bears an eerie resemblance to my favorite collaboration of CSLSX and I Break Horses. Beginning with reverb heavy guitar, the beat drops with hushed vocals and crescendos before dropping into a distorted chorus. I have a lot going on tomorrow so I am required to stay in tonight and this track makes the time go by just a little bit easier.
Y'all feel in the mood for some good Canadian folk? Jon Lawless, who along with Mary Cassidy brought us the terribly infectious "Carolina," blesses us with a new Tallest Man on Earth-esque track titled, "So Sure." This time around Jon Lawless has teamed up world-renowned fiddler Linsey Beckett. "So Sure" starts as sleepy folk before the steel guitar and Beckett's slurring fiddle escalate to a blissful crescendo. My only complaint is that I would have loved to hear Mary Cassidy's voice alongside Lawless. The two had an irresistible back and forth on "Carolina." To go along with the lyric, "It never hurts to be so sure that you risk it all," I thought I would throw in another track from Lawless titled "Go For Broke." Living fully seems to be a leitmotif for these Canadians. Man, today couldn't get better, another good tune and another victory for R…
Submissions from this past week seem to represent one or two genres, composition and instrumental. As I have mentioned in the past, instrumental work tends to be my favorite and unfortunately it seems to be a genre that doesn't secure enough traction. 'Nough said and with one more plug on to the music. As always email us your submissions at bochicrew@gmail.com
Oskar Schuster
Starting piano at the age of 6 and beginning to compose at the age of 14, the ability of Oskar Schuster to weave fantasized dreamscapes comes as no surprise. In more recent years Schuster studied musicology in Munich before packing up his bags for Berlin in hopes of becoming a musician. Since then he has released Dear Utopia in September 2011 and is currently working on his second full-length entitled, Sneuuwland. Schuster writes,
"I like to call my songs musical fairytales as they create a surreal, magical atmosphere with the combination of piano, glockenspiel, music box, accordion and beats ma…
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